Swiss lathe shop to make magnesium parts

[robert123]

Does anyone know of a swiss shop that will make magnesium parts?

 

[TeachMePlease]

No affiliation whatsoever, but I got a random email in March from a place called Colburn Manufacturing asking if I needed any domestically sourced Swiss machined parts. You could hit them up and ask.

 

[EmGo]

Does anyone know of a swiss shop that will make magnesium parts?

If you find one, use 'em quick because they won't be around long. Milling is no worry with mag, but those long thin stringy chips from turning go "whoosh !" like you wouldn't believe and I don't know how you'd keep a swiss totally clear of chips. I guess if you budgeted for a new machine and building every six months you could do it ....

 

[Limy Sami]

Just a thought, ;-

Is the OP talking ''pure Magnesium'' or an Aluminum / Magesium alloy ? which is (or WAS) often referred to as Magnesium - it CAN make a difference.

 

[robert123]

It is AZ60A magnesium alloy. These are .125" diameter pins. Is there a better way to make them? I thought maybe grinding but magnesium dust sounds worse.

 

[Bill D]

VW Bug engine crankcases had some magnesium in the aluminum casting. Home foundry melting went fine until we poured the molten metal. as soon as i rhi fresh air it ignited as it poured into the mold. All we could do was shovel dirt on it and watch the dirt make clouds of smoke.
Bill D

 

[JH-Q]

How complex are the parts and what kind of amount you are looking for? Is it a repeat job or one time only?

Might be a far shot since my machine is still in pieces and it's located overseas, so it wouldn't be a fast option but i'm keeping one eye open for oddball small swiss contracts in the future (next year or so).

Magnesium fire sounds scary, but i don't run my shop lights out anyway, so i'm happy to babysit the machine while it runs. How big is the risk of catching fire really, if tools are kept sharp and the swarf cleaned out often?

 

[Matt@RFR]

How big is the risk of catching fire really, if tools are kept sharp and the swarf cleaned out often?

Ehh. I didn't machine tons of the stuff, but I found it really enjoyable to run. It's like a lightweight Mic6. 1/2" 3 flute at 12k RPM with no worries. I tried to light some chips on fire with a cigarette lighter with no luck, but I still had a type D fire extinguisher and 5 gallons of kiln dried sand at the mill.

It was great until I learned that if you leave mag chips in the coolant, it somehow turns to salt water or some shit and you have to dump the entire sump, clean the system and recharge.

 

[EmGo]

1/2" 3 flute at 12k RPM with no worries. I tried to light some chips on fire with a cigarette lighter with no luck, but I still had a type D fire extinguisher and 5 gallons of kiln dried sand at the mill.

Milling != turning. Even if you are turning and get absolutely nothing but 6's and 9's, you are fine (clean. Clean clean clean, don't let them accumulate !) but lathes do not always break chips. Even if they do, when you run up to a corner and change directions to face out, or even just run to a corner and pull the tool out, there's a fine little stringy long chip that you get, like a long blonde hair. Those guys go off in an instant and they'll set off the 6's and 9's much better than a lighter.

With an engine lathe, if you keep the pan and bed scrupulously clean, it's just a quick whoosh of what's sitting there, scary but no big deal. If it's inside an enclosure and tight space like a swiss, could be cry, baby, cry.

Most places that do a lot of mag eventually burn to the ground. I'd mill it all day long no prob but turning, a couple of one-offs done real careful but otherwise, maybe Bob down he street will do that for you

[I'm not sure if insurance will even pay for a mag fire ?]

 

[Limy Sami]

It is AZ60A magnesium alloy. These are .125" diameter pins. Is there a better way to make them? I thought maybe grinding but magnesium dust sounds worse.

How about getting it centreless ground (those boys know how to handle such material) and sawing it to length - or are the parts more complicated.

 

[john.k]

Back in the day ,many manufacturers used scrap WW2 magnesium ............VW is one ,AEC truck sumps and crankcases,gearbox and diff housings .... were also cast magnesium ..........the castings can be oxy acetylene welded without any problems .........the swarf wont burn if its saturated with oil .......needs air to burn...............when it does burn ,it burns to a fluffy white dust that cant transmit heat to anything around............there is no red hot slag as with heavier metals .............The danger is much over rated.

 

[pcd]

I'd look for a shop that does titanium since there's a similar danger there. Not as bad as magnesium, but same precautions needed.

 

[Joe Gwinn]

It was great until I learned that if you leave mag chips in the coolant, it somehow turns to salt water or some shit and you have to dump the entire sump, clean the system and recharge.

Meaning water-based coolant I assume, because magnesium can burn underwater, stealing the needed oxygen from the water, releasing hydrogen gas.

If one is setting up to cut pure magnesium, one thing that would control the fires would be to flood the cabinet with ordinary nitrogen (but not carbon dioxide).

 

[Booze Daily]

Many years ago I turned a bunch of magnesium parts in a CNC lathe. We emptied the water based coolant and filled it with mineral oil. (Sunnen honing oil)
Didn't have any problems.

 

[EmGo]

Many years ago I turned a bunch of magnesium parts in a CNC lathe. We emptied the water based coolant and filled it with mineral oil. (Sunnen honing oil)
Didn't have any problems.

If the lathe was in your garage at home, would you take the job ?

 

[Matt@RFR]

Many years ago I turned a bunch of magnesium parts in a CNC lathe. We emptied the water based coolant and filled it with mineral oil. (Sunnen honing oil)
Didn't have any problems.

I never used it since that mag job went away, but Oemeta has a mag-specific additive for their two part coolant.

 

[triumph406]

Two materials I've never been asked to quote, Mg and Be-Cu

Yea Yea I know it's safe if you know what your doing etc etc

Not something I'm going to risk.

Bit like going to TJ to see the ho's, risk way too high to make it viable.

 

[Dan from Oakland]

Be-Cu is no where near the problem that pure Be is- they get mixed up quite often. Containing Be-CU dust with coolant goes a long way to making it just another material to deal with. Quite a few threads here on PM regarding this.

 

[alphonso]

Worked in a shop in 1965 that had several multi spindles running Be-Cu. Janitor filled the coolant sump of one with xylene. That was a scary moment. One of my jobs was second op on parts the multi spindles spit out. Drill hole in end of the 1/8 pins on a hand turret lathe. Nobody ever said anything about the possible bad things that Be-Cu could do. Ignorance was bliss.

Watched a VW van burn to the ground from engine fire. Dumb-asses from fire department tried to put out fire with water. Wonderful light show.

Have line bored thousands of VW cases with no issues.

 

[MrStretch]

I once watched a vw bus catch fire and then become quickly engulfed in flame (mine). Fireman said it was lucky the engine didn't catch fire because there is nothing they could do but watch it burn. The fire got hot enough to melt the carb, but the magnesium engine (sorta) survived.